σπίτι is "home" in Greek, and this post covers our first month or so in our new one! It also references some frustrations and health issues... read on!
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| Our new sea view |
On arrival we were faced with the boxes, bags and general clutter we had dropped off in October, some useful items left by departing friends, cadged extras, some recent UK post, the very old and tatty furniture and personal items from years of tenancies, and the packaging from the brand new washing machine and cooker (fortunately - and thanks to some nagging now recently, and perhaps safely - installed). The electricity was naturally off! We looked at the fuse box and any memories we had of what was what 8 months ago fled. Eventually we tentatively poked everything and there was light - but not at the cooker! We eventually solved that and set about installing ourselves. This involved a lot of dust and a lot of lifting and shoving:- with consequences! After a while we had had enough, declared it a young person's game and needed a beer; but first we needed to identify the immersion heater switch and turn it off! Oh dear! We ended up with everything off and unable to get the master switch back on again, so we went off for a delightful afternoon at Zygos where we spent a delightful time with a succession of old-timers - none of whom knew anything about Greek fuse boxes!
That evening we bit the bullet and went round to Kyria Maria's to explain with graphic gesticulations and use of words like problema, spiti and electrico! She phoned Athens, a neighbouring English speaker was briefly found and Ruth was told to wait. Soon KM emerged and with comparable linguistic ingenuity conveyed that Ruth should go to spiti and in 10 lepta the electrologo would arrive! Indeed he did - in more like 25 minutes - but 10 lepta has been known to mean three weeks, so we were lucky (or Spiros has influence!) The competent artisan poked and prodded downstairs in Bob's presence, came in and shook hands and pushed one switch. Sorted! We hadn't been brave enough to push hard enough! He identified the water switch, gave us the look we deserved and left, so we could embark on the first volta of the season without a torch.
Getting sorted has been a long and tortuous process - still ongoing; not least because after the lousy two months of weather we wanted to relax and do serious beach-time. It is different from the old apartment!
First - of course - we are "on the other side"! Our lucky sea view includes the Crocodile, the 08.30 departing Samaria ferry, and - in odd weather conditions - the outline of Gavdos. This also puts us within spitting(!) distance of old favourite eateries like Maria's, Christos, The Wave and the Oriental Bay. We don't have cats, plants, church bells, landline, the large hanging space for washing, free fruit and veg,a spare bedroom, a TV signal, batterie de cuisine, the unused zomba (wood-burning stove) or the beautiful shady bouganvilla balcony. We do, however, have a very new (strangely-configured) bathroom suite, lots of indoor living and storage space, an AC unit that looks as if it would work if we wanted it to, a local bar which has repeatedly done 3 for 2 or even 2 for 1 on the Amstels, fewer and safer stairs, a much lower rent, and - following some skillful negotiations - kosher free WiFi some of the time (watch his space and understand why it has been such a long time since last posting!)
As for the village?
Commercially perhaps not as bad as was being predicted at the end of last season; but we have lost Judy and John's dress shop, which has been done up as a jewellers, Nikos the jeweller, Vlissidis's second supermarket in the old Pelican by the harbour, and both crepe/ice-cream places on the Palm Tree road :- one is still empty, but the other has opened as a
fish foot spa and nail studio! Just what we have always needed - eh? There is a new ice-cream place down the main street! At Odos (The Hole in the Wall) two Romanian sisters are running a simple but efficient and cheap bar with nice (payable) mezes. It is known as Monika's! There have been changes on the hair salon front - but probably no net change in number, and we have a flash new opticians. It is said that a new phone and computer shop will open soon in the old video rental premises. At Atoli there is now a weekly rock and reggae evening with a 4euros per head buffet by Suzi who now cooks there. It had earlier been named as an "over-forties" night, but no longer!
Leisure-wise the kids' amusement arcade on the stony side has expanded and is pretty gruesome of an evening, and on the sandy side a couple of fairground attractions have been installed where the Shell garage was until two years ago. The Elafonissi boat has been declared unfit and for a while there was no service other than a KTEL bus, but now the dolphin boat operates on some days of the week. In a strange move the landau has returned! Memories differ on when it was last here - but as Bruce's old home movie shows it was here is 1995. (Recognise anyone?)
It passes our apartment each morning at 9am. It doesn't yet seem to be too busy! The cinema started again at the beginning of July, and we are getting some live music in different
kafenions.
The paving project has either finished or is on hold. The main street down to Stavros the barber is pleasingly paved, and all overhead wiring is gone leaving Chania-style elegant lamps. The statue has not been re-instated, and there is no sign of the dreaded water-feature.
However all is not well on the sandy beach! We were warned of sand erosion, and when we arrived the effect was dramatic. Many sunbeds could not be placed in their usual sites, and getting into the sea was very difficult indeed - especially for the ageing regulars! Some dramatic wind has helped a bit and there are now three potential entrances to the sea at our end, but it is disappointing. This is not helped by a strong rumour that an EU grant for the purpose of sand-moving was squandered. Now is that likely??
We have also been spitting at and in the wind! Is this a very early meltemi - or just just the revenge of the gods for some Cretan misdemeanour? June had a lot of "unbeachable" days with a northerly or north-easterly.
And finally... we have both been suffering over the month with disgusting coughs. Ruth's knees improved and the use of a bicycle has made life a lot easier, but the flat frequently sounds like a sanatorium. Ah, excuse me:- Spiti!
